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Aug 22, 1485
Richard III is killed in battle
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his time of death in 1485. He was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. His defeat was the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses and marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
Columbus led 3 ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria out of the ports in Spain. He wanted to sail west in hopes of reaching Asia to find a shorter trade route, but instead he ran intot and discovered the New World. -
Jan 1, 1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506, it is painted inoil and is believed to be a half portrait of the italian women Lisa Gherardini. It was aquired by king Francis 1 of France and is now the property of the French Republic. -
Sep 30, 1516
Thomas More’s Utopia is published
Utopia is a work of fiction and political plilosophy by Thomas More. It was originally published in Latin in 1516. -
Apr 21, 1543
With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
Henry VIII became king of England April 21, 1543 and ruled over England, Ireland, and FRance until his death in 1547. He married six times and is widely known for seperating the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. -
Nov 17, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Born September 7 ,1533 Elizabeth was queen of England and Ireland until her death in 1603. She is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen" because she never gave birth to a child. -
Apr 26, 1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
William Shakespeare was an english poet, playwrier, and actor, and is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the english language. -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's men, but was destroyed by jife on June 29, 1613. A second one has been built on the same site in its place. -
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear and Macbeth are both tragedy plays written by William Shakespeare. They are both beleieved to have beem written between 1599 and 1606. -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was the first colony in Virginia and first successful colony in North America. It was established by the Virginia Company of London and considered perminant after brief abandonment in 1610. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 83 years, 1616-1699. -
Shakespeare’s sonnets are published
Shakespeares sonnets are a total of 154 sonnets. It was first published in 1609 by Thomas Thorpe. -
King James Bible is published
The King James Bible, also known as the Authorized Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England. It began in 1604 and was completed in 1611. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Plymouth Rock is the original site of he Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history. -
Newspapers are first published in London
During the 17th century, there were many kinds of publications that told both news and rumours. Among these were pamphlets and posters. Even when the news periodicals emerged, many of these co-existed with them. -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is a poem in blank verse by poet John Milton. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout. -
Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II
Charles II ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland. He took thrown after hes father Charles I was executed.
